CSA Harvest # 20

Whew! What a deluge! Our plants have been re hydrated on the farm and new seedlings that we planted weeks ago are popping up with renewed vigor. Last night as the rain hammered away on the roof I realized that our water pumps were still down there at the rivers edge and debated about going out at 4 am to check on them. Luckily when we went out to check them later we discovered the pumps were still high and dry although their time of use seems to be over for the season.

We were not quite ready for the downpour as we scurried around the farm on Sunday to get about a hundred things done before the storm.
First we had a wonderful time planting garlic with CSA members, friends and family (my mom who came with oatmeal cookies!) Thank you to CSA members Russ and Zory and their two young friends.. also thank you to our regular volunteer crew M.A, Robin and Violet who showed up to lend a hand in garlic planting. We planted and mulched 7 rows with three more to go!
When we ran out of garlic seed to plant we moved onto the butternut squash scattered in the field. We snipped them, piled them and then put them into wheelbarrows to the truck.. where they were then loaded into the truck, driven to the barn and then unloaded again.. all that for your butternut squash this week!~ They have passed through our hands several times and been sweetened along the way!

We had big plans for Monday as well until the sore throat I'd been fighting on Sunday turned into the full fledged flu by Monday morning.. bad timing to be laid out with the upcoming storm! So we did not quite get to our 100th thing on the list but we are crossing our fingers that the ground will dry out enough for us to till in all of the remaining crop residues and then get our cover crop seed in and then we will welcome the rain with open arms!

Exciting news in the Umpqua!! There will be a local showing (with local popcorn!) of the movie Food,Inc playing Friday November 6th at 6pm at the Douglas County Museum. This event is being hosted by our good friends at Think Local Umpqua.. please mark your calendars!! This is a great movie for all of you who are obviously concerned about where your food comes from!! We'll see you at the movies!!!

Harvest This Week Includes:

Garlic

Norkotah Russet Potatoes

Red and Green Tomatoes (green tomato recipes below!)

Concord Grapes

Butternut Winter Squash

Daikon Radish (the long white root)

Beets

Napa Cabbage OR Kohlrabi

Yellow Onion

Sage (to help with butternut lasagna recipe below!!)

Butternut Squash Time!!

Your butternut squash will keep best at room temp and will keep for over a month. It only gets sweeter as it ages so do not feel compelled to cook it at once. When your ready here are some ideas:

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

* 3 pounds butternut squash, halved and seeded
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 leek, sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, sliced
* 2 (49.5 fluid ounce) cans chicken broth
* 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup sherry wine
* 1 cup half-and-half cream
* 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish, or a cookie sheet with sides. Place the squash halves cut side down on the dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Cool slightly, then remove the peel. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic, and saute for a few minutes, until tender. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Add the squash, and mash with the potatoes until chunks are small. Use an immersible hand blender to puree the soup, or transfer to a blender or food processor in batches, and puree until smooth. Return to the pot.
3. Season the soup with cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper, then stir in the sherry and half-and-half cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream.


How to Bake Your Winter Squash

Cut smaller squash (like acorn squash) in half; scoop out the seeds. Place 2 teaspoons honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup and 1 tablespoon butter into their centers. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 30 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.



Roasting Method

Cut in half and seed squash. Place the squash halves, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub the flesh with softened butter or oil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with brown sugar, maple syrup or orange juice. Flip the squash over and roast them for 40 to 45 minutes in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven. Roast the squash until the skin is blistered, browned and the flesh tender. Insert a fork or knife under the skin to test that the flesh is tender. When the squash has cooled the skin should peel off easily.

Roasting squash helps to maintain squash's delicate flavor. Once roasted and cooled, there are a plethora of cooking options available. One option is to mash the squash and use it in any recipe calling for squash purée. Roasted squash freezes extremely well and reheats easily. Don't be afraid to roast several squash at once and freeze it for use during the holidays


Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna- thanks Martha Stewart for the heads up on this one! Butternut lasagna is fantastic!! Dino's Italian Restaurant made a batch of it last year for one of the Think Local Benefit Dinners.. believe me I'm going to dust off the old apron and give this one a whirl!!

Ingredients

Serves 8

* 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
* Freshly grated nutmeg
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
* Fresh Lasagna Noodles, (you will need only 1/2 of the batch), cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
* 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
3. Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.
6. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2008

Concord Grapes:Concord grapes are a grape variety developed in the Eastern United States during the 19th century. The grapes have a number of uses, and often appear in jams, jellies, grape juice, and sweets. Concord grapes are extremely high in antioxidants and I love to just pop them in my mouth like table grapes. They are crisp, refreshing and even taste purple... pop one in your mouth and you'll see what I mean! They are seedy. Seeds can be squeezed out or spit at your spouse, kids if they're acting unruly.


Daikon Radish The Daikon radish comes to us from Japan where it is used raw to complement the taste of oily or raw foods and, more importantly, to aid in their digestion. Laboratory analysis has shown that the juice of raw daikon is abundant in digestive enzymes similar to those found in the human digestive tract. These enzymes - diastase, amylase, and esterase - help transform complex carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into their readily assimilable components. Traditional Japanese restaurants serve grated daikon (daikon oroshi) in tempura dip to help digest oils, or shredded daikon with raw fish to help digest the protein. Grated daikon is a wonderful aid to people with a weak digestive system. It is important, however, to use grated daikon immediately. In just thirty minutes nearly 50 percent of its enzymes are lost. Daikon is also

To Prepare for Eating:
Scrub or peel removing only a thin layer of the outside. It can be grated, or cut into cubes, sticks, or thin slices. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Cooked daikon is used like a turnip in soups and stews. Raw daikon can be used to add some crunch and spice to salads and relishes.

Beijing Radish Salad


1 medium daikon radish
2 tablespoons rice or balsamic vinegar (or a combination)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Wash and julienne radishes. They can be peeled or not as you like or you can grate them. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and dress the radishes with the dressing.

DAIKON RADISH REMOULADE
1 lb.
3 tbsp.
4 tbsp.
1 tsp.
1/4 cup
daikon radish
dijon style mustard
olive oil
wine vinegar
minced fresh parsley leaves

Cut the daikon into 2-inch-long fine julienne strips or grate it coarse. Rinse a large bowl with hot water, dry it, and in it whisk the mustard with 3 tablespoons hot water. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until the dressing is emulsified, and whisk in the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Add the daikon strips and the parsley and toss the mixture well. Serves 6.

Gourmet, April 1991


Napa Cabbage~ Another treat from the Asian world! Napa cabbage is also know as Chinese Cabbage.

How it Stacks Up Nutrient Wise:
1 cup raw shredded contains:
calories: 20
Vitamin C: 46% RDA
Vitamin A: 26% RDA
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1 g

Sesame Noodles with Napa Cabbage

Vegetarian Times Issue: February 1, 2007 p.65 — Member Rating: 1111
This easy dish is equally good hot or cold, and leftovers make a great take-along lunch.

Ingredient List

Serves 4

* 3 Tbs. reduced-fat peanut butter
* 2 Tbs. roasted sesame oil
* 2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 Tbs. sherry or mirin (rice wine)
* 1 Tbs. rice vinegar
* 1 Tbs. sugar
* 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes or 1/2 tsp. chile sauce
* 10 oz. long noodles, such as udon or spaghetti
* 1/2 lb. napa cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, sugar and red pepper flakes in saucepan.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, place cabbage in colander over sink. Warm sauce over medium-low heat.
4. Drain noodles over cabbage in colander to wilt cabbage. Transfer noodles and cabbage to serving bowl, add sauce, and toss until combined.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING: Calories: 408, Protein: 15g, Total fat: 13g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 59g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 553mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 7g


Green Tomato Time:

Classic Fried Green Tomatoes
* 4 to 6 green tomatoes
* salt and pepper
* cornmeal
* bacon grease or vegetable oil

Preparation:
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 - 1/2-inch slices. Salt and pepper them to taste. Dip in meal and fry in hot grease or oil about 3 minutes or until golden on bottom. Gently turn and fry the other side. Serve as a side dish - delicious with breakfast!


Baked Green Tomatoes:

* 4 large firm green tomatoes
* salt and pepper
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 3/4 cup coarse buttery cracker crumbs
* 4 tablespoons butter

Preparation:
Cut green tomatoes in 1/2 inch slices; arrange green tomato slices in a greased baking dish. Season sliced green tomatoes with salt and pepper and spread each with about 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar. Cover sliced green tomatoes with crumbs and dot with butter. Bake at 350° until green tomatoes are tender but still firm, or about 25 to 35 minutes.
Recipe for baked green tomatoes serves 6.